


Nobody Makes Sense

by C107



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Akamatsu Kaede Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Jabberwock Island (Dangan Ronpa), Kinda, POV Akamatsu Kaede, Protagonist Akamatsu Kaede, Rewrite, i guess, it's basically kaede in sdr2, kinda???, okay look can someone teach me about dedication--
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-10-04 13:06:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C107/pseuds/C107
Summary: She was alive.She could hear birds cawing and waves crashing. She could feel water lapping against her feet, a powdery substance soft under her fingertips. The first thing she thought upon realizing she had survived was,'How?'--A second killing game.That was her punishment.





	1. "I'm the protagonist of this crazy story."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> no seriously guys please teach me about dedication because this is the third multichapter fic i've started and hhhhh--
> 
> halfway through this, i think i forgot what description was.
> 
> anyway, this is part of the same universe as common world domination. i honestly didn't plan for the introductions to stretch out for two chapters, nor did i plan on this chapter being so lengthy, but here we are.
> 
> hope you guys enjoy this!

She was alive.

She could hear birds cawing and waves crashing. She could feel water lapping against her feet, a powdery substance soft under her fingertips. The first thing she thought upon realizing she had survived was, _'How?' _

Kaede didn't open her eyes. 

She knew she wasn't that lucky, knew the _mastermind _ wasn't so generous. It only made sense that this was her actual execution, that the other had been false somehow. She had killed an innocent, so she would be punished accordingly. 

Stones being thrown at her hadn't been enough, and neither had the noose around her neck. There had to be something more painful, something more suitable. Being lowered into the ocean to be eaten alive by sea creatures. Being stranded on a small island with nothing but dangerous, feral animals, her only way of escape being to swim. Drowning, suffocating, being ripped to shreds, and–

"Hey, can you hear me?"

A voice.

A moment passed before Kaede peeled her eyes open, letting out a soft hiss at the light that hit her at just the right angle to shine directly in them.

"Oh, sorry for not moving you into the shade or anything... I don't know how long you've been out here, but you weren't in the classroom with us a few minutes ago."

It was only then that she noticed the boy sitting next to her. What seemed to be a cloud of white hair rested atop his head, curly and sticking out in several directions. He wore a green jacket, along with an expression of concern and mild confusion.

Kaede was even more confused.

"Where... are we?" Talking felt strange since she knew she shouldn't have been able to. 

The stranger shrugged. "On a field trip, apparently. Though I don't know if you could be considered part of the class."

"Class?" Kaede sat up, giving the boy her full attention. "How many of you are there?"

"Unless I miscounted, sixteen."

_ ("That makes sixteen.") _

Kaede inhaled sharply, feeling her stomach churn.

"Are you all ultimates?"

The boy's eyes widened, and he smiled. "How did you know? Well, I'm not sure I could really call myself an ultimate with a talent as useless as mine..." He crossed his arms before continuing. "This is our first day as students of Hope's Peak Academy. It's strange, isn't it? A field trip on the first day of school. Well, I guess that's Hope's Peak for you," he chuckled.

A second killing game.

That was her punishment.

With the realization came a groan from a few feet away from her. Another boy, one with abnormally spiky brown hair, lay in the sand behind her, and she hadn't noticed him until then. Eyebrows furrowing, Kaede glanced around the beach in case there were any other unconscious bodies to worry about.

"Ah, you're awake." The white-haired boy gave the new boy the same smile he had given her, gentle and calming. "Are you okay?"

"Leave me alone," he grumbled in response, and Kaede stood and crossed her arms.

"Hey, if he's trying to check on you, you should at least provide him with an answer. Don't shoo him away like he isn't trying to help you." She ran a hand through her hair, lips curling downward, "I understand if you're confused. I am, too. To be honest, I don't even know why I'm here with you guys." 

Kaede held up an index finger, forcing herself to smile now. "But that's why we shouldn't waste time. Let's do our best to move forward and learn more about our situation. We'll accomplish a lot more working together, rather than separately, so we should get along with one another as much as possible."

She walked over to the brown-haired boy with an outstretched hand. "I'm Kaede Akamatsu. And you are?"

"I'm Hajime Hinata." The boy narrowed his eyes before gripping her hand, and Kaede pulled him up with a small grunt. 

"Hajime, Hajime..." She tested the name on her tongue, brows knitting. "Have we met before? Sometime in the past? You seem... familiar."

Hajime shook his head, letting go of her hand. "Ah, no. Don't think we've ever met."

"Strange," Kaede muttered. She then turned to the white-haired boy, who had been silently observing their conversation. "What about you? What's your name?"

"I'm Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate... Lucky Student. I'm sure it's nothing in comparison to the talents the two of you have, though." He let out a chuckle, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

"Are you kidding me?" Kaede's smile shrunk into a slight frown. "Don't put yourself down like that. However luck works as a talent, I'm sure it must be pretty amazing, Nagito. I'm sure you're so much greater than you think you are..." She let out a sigh before letting her lips quirk up. "You may not seem that reliable right now, but you could do a lot more if you were more confident in your abilities."

Hajime raised a brow. "Are you just here to be giving motivational speeches?"

"I-Is that what it seems like? Haha..." It was an awkward chuckle, one that, along with her cheeks that were flushed with more than the sun's heat, conveyed her embarrassment. "To be fair, I've just been saying what needs to be said so far." She glanced at Nagito. "We should have fourteen more people to meet, right?"

"Yep! You're really kind to be coming along with us, by the way. Also..." he put a knuckle of his index finger to his chin. "You and Hajime haven't said anything about your talents."

Kaede smiled through the image of a giant, spiked piano flashing in her mind. "I'm the Ultimate Pianist. Some people used to call me a piano freak, before I..."

Had she ever really been accepted into Hope's Peak Academy? 

"Before you what?" Hajime asked with a small tilt of his head. 

"Ah, sorry, I forgot what I was going to say..." She smiled. "What about you, Hajime? What's your talent?"

The brown-haired boy's brows furrowed, his jaw clenching. "I can't seem to remember it right now. Certain things are a bit fuzzy, and whenever I try and think about it, my head hurts."

_ ("I can't remember my talent at the moment, but I promise, I'm not a bad guy.") _

A clean shot-put ball, a trap. A bloodied shot-put ball, Rantaro's dead body.

"T-Then," Kaede hid her panic and forced herself to speak, "try not to think too hard about it, alright, Hajime? Maybe it'll come to you with time, or maybe you're just too out of it to remember right now. If you need help with anything, I'll be there in whatever way I can. But..." She gripped the straps of her backpack. "I've gotta now, actually. I'll see you two later."

She fled from the beach as quickly as possible, hearing a faint, "Did we scare her off or something?" while doing so.

—

"Hey, watch where you're going! I'll sell your fuckin' organs, bitch!"

_ 'What the hell?!' _

She took a step back from the short blond boy she had run into. While she didn't enjoy being called vulgar names by someone she'd just met, something (other than the fact that he'd just threatened to sell her organs) told her he wasn't someone to mess with. Kaede clasped her hands in front of her and gave a low bow.

"Ah, sorry! I was trying to run away from some people, and I guess I stopped paying attention to where my feet were taking me for a moment..."

"We've only been here for about an hour, and a girl like you has already made enemies?" She picked up some confusion in his tone. "Tch, whatever. Not my problem. Quit that shit and stand up." She did so, only to see the boy standing with crossed arms. "Guess I won't be the troublemaker this time..." he mumbled.

"Hey, it was one time!" Kaede bit back before letting out a huff. "And I don't _think _they count as enemies. They were pretty nice to me."

"Really?" A snort. "Last time I checked, you don't run away from people who aren't after your ass. Least, that's how it is the Yakuza world." He put on palm up, shoving his other hand into his pocket.

_ 'Yakuza?! Well... that makes sense, actually.' _

"What's the matter?" The boy smirked. "You seem intimidated."

Kaede took a moment to choose her words carefully. "Of course I'm a little intimidated. It's not every day that you meet a yakuza. But you don't seem too bad."

The yakuza's smirk shifted into a frown. "I don't get you. You'll have a conversation with a yakuza, but you'll run away from people who are probably, like, infinitely less dangerous? You're fuckin' weird, you know that?"

"Hey," She crossed her arms and furrowed her brows, "That's a lot to say about someone you've just met."

"You tryin' to say I'm wrong?"

"I..." Kaede frowned. "You aren't wrong, no."

"That's what I thought." The boy glanced to the side, "The name's Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, since you haven't even bothered to ask yet. I'm the Ultimate Yakuza."

Kaede's shoulders tensed. "Right, I forgot about introductions!" With a small smile, "I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist!"

"Eh? You're an ultimate too? But you weren't back there in the classroom with us…" Fuyuhiko narrowed his eyes at her before letting out a sigh. "Well, this entire situation's fuckin' strange. First, that rabbit telling us to be friends with one another and shit, and now there's another student that we didn't even know about."

_ 'Rabbit?' _

"I need to clear my mind," Fuyuhiko said. "I might see you around. Later, I guess."

"All right…" 

He began walking past her, and Kaede turned her head to watch his retreating form for a moment. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. Another face, another name that sounded oh-so-familiar yet new. It felt as if she had forgotten something important.

Thirteen more introductions to go.

At the moment, she stood in front of the gates to what seemed to be a hotel. On the other side of the gates were sixteen small buildings that resembled beach houses and one larger building that appeared to be a restaurant. There was also a wooden cabin with worn, splintery walls.

_ 'There should be people here…' _

Kaede pressed her lips into a thin line and stepped through the hotel gates, surveying the area. A wooden bridge and wooden ledges connected all of the houses, and walking across the bridge, two people came into view. A girl with short red hair stood next to a bed of flowers, holding a camera to her face to take a picture of them with a smile. A boy wearing a leather jacket and a white shirt that was definitely a few sizes too small for him couched at the edge of a pool, examining its clear waters. 

The boy was closer, so Kaede walked over to him first. 

"Just as I thought," the boy began, and Kaede had to wonder whether he was really a teenager or not, "this pool would be _perfect _for any swimmers!"

The sudden rise in his voice made her shoulders tense.

"You there!"

"Y-Yes?"

The boy stood, towering over her now. His gaze was startlingly intense, and Kaede had to fight the urge to shy away from it.

There was a nod.

"With a body type like yours, do you play tennis?"

She gave a slow shake of her head. "I don't play any sports. I just… play the piano."

"So you're a pianist, eh? Not bad! Music's great for clearing the mind and setting the mood! You're doing the world a huge favor, uh… What was your name again?"

"My name is Kaede Akamatsu," she smiled, "I'm the Ultimate Pianist. Do you enjoy music a l–" "HOLD IT! YOUR VOICE IS TOO SOFT!"

"I'm… I'm sorry?"

"AGAIN!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Not that! Reintroduce yourself! Let your voice rise from the bottom of your stomach!"

"My name is Kaede Akamatsu!"

"Better! My name is NEKOMARU NIDAI! Remember that name for the rest of your life!"

Kaede felt the need to cover her ears before Nekomaru started speaking again. 

"And, this is just my _team manager's_ intuition, but… your passion, I can sense it from here."

"My passion?"

He folded his arms across his chest and nodded. "You have a fire burning in you, a goal that you're working towards. Never let that _fire_ die! Hold on to your hopes and let it live on – even after _you _die!"

_ 'He's… so intense, but his words are motivational. He's right. If this really is a second killing game, I'll work hard to make sure a killing never happens, and… I won't take any lives this time.’ _

"Thank you for your kind words, Nekomaru!"

"Gyahaha! It's just what I do!"

Walking away from the team manager, Kaede felt a determination welling in her, and she couldn't help but smile. Looking to the red-haired girl, she noticed that she had stopped taking pictures of the flowers and was now looking at the screen of her camera with a frown. Kaede stopped in front of her and heard a low, short sigh.

"These flowers look okay, but they're missing something important." The girl held her camera to her eye, her frown morphing into a grin. "Hey," she pointed to the bed of flowers, "can you stand over here?" 

"H-Huh? Oh, sure!" 

Kaede made her way to the bed of flowers with a few short, gleeful steps. Staring at the red-haired girl now, she noticed the freckles dotting her face. 

“Say cheese!”

The girl didn’t give her time to say the word before she snapped a photo. Once finished, she admired her work with a pleased expression. “This one’s a keeper,” she said. “Raw happiness like this, you don’t find everywhere.” She clasped her hands behind her back. “What a nice smile!”

Kaede felt her face flush.

“Uh, thank you. I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. And you are?”

The other girl let out an “Oh!” of realization before running a hand through her hair with a frown. “How’d I forget to introduce myself? I’m Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate photographer.” 

“Photographer…” Kaede smiled, “I see. What kind of photos do you take?”

Mahiru gripped her arm, her brows furrowing with her lips curling into a nervous smile. “It’s kind of dumb, but I like taking photos of people’s faces. Y’know, their emotions and stuff?" She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Pictures of smiles are my favorite kind to take.”

“Hey,” Kaede crossed her arms, frowning, “that isn’t dumb. At least, I don’t think so. In fact, making people smile is one of the main reasons why I play the piano.”

“Really?” Mahiru seemed to relax, her shoulders lowering with her lips stretching into a grin. “Then, maybe when you make it big someday, I’ll take photos at one of your concerts!”

“Make it big?” 

“Yeah, your music’s probably amazing,” the photographer said. “Whenever we get off of this island, we should keep in touch!”

“Yeah, let’s do that.” Turning away from Mahiru to walk into the nearby building, Kaede hoped the twitch in her smile hadn’t been noticeable.

Cool air greeted her when she entered the hotel lobby, and she let out a sigh of contentment. It was a refreshing change from the sun’s heat.

“They’re… nice, aren’t they? The fans and the air conditioner?”

A girl with short mauve hair had spoken from where she was hunched over some sort of arcade machine, hands working the controls in a rapid, yet practiced, manner. Kaede made her way to her with a small wave, only to realize that the girl had yet to look up from the arcade machine’s screen.

“Yeah, they’re pretty nice. I’m guessing you like video games?”

The girl yawned. “Yeah…”

A bead of sweat appeared on Kaede’s face when the gamer said nothing else, focus now completely on the arcade machine.

_ ‘No, I won’t let this conversation end here! I haven’t even gotten her name yet! What if I poke her? It worked with…’ _

She frowned.

_ ‘Maybe I should try a different tactic.’ _

“Um, I don’t know much about video games, but I’d be happy if you taught me about them!”

The girl’s hands ceased.

“You… want to learn how to play video games?”

She looked up from the game, and her gaze was so intense that it felt as if the room’s temperature had dropped by a few degrees. Kaede gulped.

“Yes…?”

“All right, “ The gamer pointed to Kaede dramatically, “I’ll teach you everything. So, first–” “Ah, wait, isn’t this too sudden?” Kaede interrupted. “I don’t even know your name yet…”

The other girl’s mouth fell into an ‘O’ shape before she crossed her arms and frowned to the floor. “Right... It’s polite to introduce yourself to someone when you meet them, and everything else comes after. If that’s the case, then… I’m Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. Video games are my passion and hobby, and I’m a fan of all genres.”

“I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. I don’t have any hobbies outside of my talent, so I’ll be happy to find something else to enjoy.”

There was a pause, the sound of the fans spinning overhead being the only one that filled the room for a moment.

Chiaki pulled her hood over her head.

“I… don’t have any hobbies aside from playing video games, but that’s fine, isn’t it? Since the world of video games is infinite and there’s always something new to find and enjoy?” She looked to the arcade machine. “I’m fine with only having one hobby, I think. If I enjoy it, then I won’t spend less time enjoying it for the sake of variety.”

She turned her eyes back to Kaede before narrowing them and pointing at her once more. “But… you’ve already agreed to enter the world of gaming, so there’s no backing out now!”

“No way am I backing out,” Kaede smiled. “I have to go now, though, so let’s play together some other time.”

“Already?” Chiaki let out a sigh that turned into a yawn partway through. “Well, I was getting sleepy anyway…” She closed her eyes, and soft snoring filled the lobby.

_ ‘She’s asleep just like that? How is that even possible?’ _

Kaede sighed, deciding not to dwell on it. There were more introductions for her to go through, after all. Looking around the lobby, she let out a startled yelp when she saw a silver-haired girl that she hadn’t seen at first standing near the front desk, examining it with curiosity that was almost unnoticeable. 

_ ‘When did she_ **_get _ ** _there?!’ _

Kaede blinked, relaxing her shoulders, and walked over to her. A pair of intense red eyes, coupled with an equally intense expression, turned to her.

“Uh, I’m Kaede Akamatsu. And you are?”

The girl gave off an intimidating aura, but it was best to be polite. Perhaps she was just the type of person that loosened up around friends.

“My name is Peko Pekoyama. I am the Ultimate Swordswoman.”

_ ‘Such a funny name, but such a serious title… Like the sweet and salty rule, maybe. Or not. More importantly, a yakuza and a swordswoman? Would it be rude to assume that they know one another...?’ _

“Oh, right. I’m the Ultimate Pianist,” Kaede smiled. “Swordswoman, huh? Um… do you have any blades that you particularly enjoy?”

Peko gave a slight shake of her head. “I will work with whatever I’m given. In this case, the bamboo sword in the case on my back. No matter what I’m using, the blow will be fatal.”

“O-Oh,” Kaede couldn’t help but stammer. “Well... do you think I could be able to watch you practice or train sometime?”

The girl glanced to the side. “Watch me…?”

“Yeah!” Kaede folded her arms behind her back. “You probably look really cool!”

“You think I’m…” Peko trailed off before regaining her composure where she had lost it only slightly. She nodded. “If that is what you wish, then I will not object to it.”

“Great!” Kaede beamed, “I’ll look forward to it.”

The swordswoman returned to examining the front desk, and Kaede turned to make her way up a staircase that she figured must have led to the restaurant. Walking further up the steps, she could make out voices.

“So, what I’m saying is, it’s very important that you suck it out.”

“The… poison?”

“Mhm!”

_ ‘Poison?!’ _

Kaede rushed up the remainder of the stairs, only to see a girl with platinum hair and a slender frame conversing with a boy who wore a chef’s outfit.

“It’s reacting very strongly, so if you want me to just pull my pants down right now, I…” The possible chef trailed off, his eyes wandering to the pianist. Kaede’s shoulders tensed. “Well, hello there. To be graced with the presence of not just eight, but_ nine _lovely ladies today… How lucky am I?”

_ ‘Wait, so there was no poison? Was he seriously trying to trick her into sucking his…? What the hell?! Miu made a lot of dirty jokes, but aside from that one time with me, I don’t think she ever followed through. This guy, how hard will it be to get him to tone things down at least a little?’ _

“Hey,” Kaede held up an index finger with a slight frown, “have you really been hitting on people you’ve just met?”

“Eh?” The chef seemed to take a moment to think, brows furrowing as he stroked his chin with his thumb and index finger. Then, he snapped those same fingers. “Oh…! Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you saying I should become more _intimate _with them first?”

Kaede let out a sigh.

_ ‘Well, he isn’t wrong, but I’d better not tell him that.’ _

“Just… stop hitting on people. For now, at least. Let’s figure out more about this situation before relaxing so much, all right?”

The boy let out a hum. “I have to say, I don’t really know what you mean. How can I not relax? An island vacation, a restaurant as extravagant as this one, and a bunch of attractive ladies and gentlemen. Isn’t this everything I could ever ask for?”

_ ‘Is he asking me that question, or is he asking himself?’ _

“Well,” Kaede began, holding a palm flat and upturned in the air, “don’t you have anyone you’re worried about? Or anyone who’ll be worried about you?”

The chef began to sweat, running a comb through his pompadour.

_ ‘Bingo. He’s a definite creep, and at least I’m getting somewhere, but maybe I should stop here. Wouldn’t want to overwhelm him somehow.’ _

“I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist, by the way. You are?”

The boy’s shoulders relaxed at that, his carefree smile returning. “The name’s Teruteru Hanamura. On the streets, I’m known as the Ultimate Cook, but I prefer to be called the Ultimate Chef. It has more of a big city feel to it, you know?”

“Not really, but if that’s what you want, I’ll have no problem calling you the Ultimate Chef. I do agree that it sounds fancier,” she smiled.

“Finally, someone_ gets _it! I mean…” Teruteru cleared his throat, “it’s only a fitting title for the creator of the world’s tastiest dishes.”

“Yeah, uh, I have more people to meet, but we can talk later if you want.” 

“Of course,” he purred, and Kaede fought the urge to run away right then and there. She instead turned and walked with a steady pace to the girl who had been the target of his perversions and had taken a seat at a nearby table.

_ ‘She’s really pretty! Oh, geez, does my hair look okay? I woke up in that sand, after all…’ _

Kaede’s lips quirked into a frown, and the girl must have noticed her pensive expression because she asked, with a slight tilt of her head, “Are you all right? It appears that something is on your mind.” Then, her eyes widened. “Oh, forgive me! It’s because I haven’t introduced myself yet, isn’t it?” She stood with a bow, chair not making a sound against the restaurant’s wooden floor. 

“My name is Sonia Nevermind! I’m the princess of a small kingdom in my home country, Novoselic. However,” she raised her head, smiling, “here, I’m nothing more than a foreign exchange student. Please treat me no different than you would any of your other ‘girlfriends’!”

_ ‘She says that, but I’m pretty sure you can’t meet an actual princess and not feel an immediate urge to bow.' _

"Oh, um, I actually don't have any friends," Kaede said with a nervous chuckle before holding up an index finger. "But I hope we can all be friends once we get off of this Island, and I hope we'll hang out a lot once we do." 

"I wholeheartedly agree," Sonia smiled. "Let us do lots of 'hanging out'!"

A noose around her neck, tightening and tightening and tight, tight,_ too tight and she __can’t breathe– _

"I'm Kaede Akamatsu, by the way. The Ultimate Pianist," she grinned, folding her arms behind her back and digging her dull nails into her clothed forearms. Pink chipped polish. 

"You are a pianist?!" Sonia clasped her hands together, excited now. "Please, feel free to visit my home anytime you'd like! It would please me greatly if you could play some of the classics from my favorite films!"

“Your favorite films?”

“Yes,” the princess nodded firmly, “Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Ring, and so on. Please familiarize yourself with these films if you haven’t. Oh!” She curled her hands into fists, bending her arms at the elbows with wide eyes, “Perhaps we could all watch them together sometime!”

“Yeah, um,” Kaede smiled a twitchy smile, glancing to the side, “let’s do that soon!”

_ ‘Well, she has her interests, and I have mine. Though horror movies aren’t one of them, I could probably play a few songs to entertain her.’ _

“It was nice talking to you, Sonia, but I’ll have to get going, okay?” She sent a look to Teruteru. "If he tries anything again, let me know.”

“Tries anything…?”

Kaede frowned, running a hand through her hair before letting out a sigh.

“He was tricking you. There was never any poison.”

“Oh,” Sonia said, tilting her head with a darkening smile, “I see.”

_ ‘She’s scary right now. I’d better leave!’ _

Kaede furrowed her brows and pressed her lips into a thin line before turning to make her way out of the restaurant. Opening its door and stepping outside, she already missed the fans and air conditioner. But she would power through the heat, because if Nagito’s words had been true, then she still had seven introductions to go.

Though a bit eccentric, the people that she’d met so far seemed fairly polite. And she had made a lot of promises that she hoped she would be able to keep.

Breathing in the ocean’s scent, Kaede stepped down the restaurant’s stairs.


	2. "Why don't we all stay friends?"

Taking a stroll down the island, if only a short one, was nice. It was better than when she had run as if someone were after her life, at least. Hajime and Nagito were nowhere in sight, and while she was glad she didn’t have to deal with the awkwardness of the conversation for now, a pang of guilt shot through her when she realized how confused the boys must have been when she ran off.

_ ‘I’ll patch things up with them after meeting everyone else.’ _

It was a promise not just to them, but to herself as well.

Kaede let out a sigh, her steps coming to a halt in front of what seemed to be some sort of farm.

“Usami Corral,” a crudely-painted sign above its entrance read. 

_ ‘Usami? Who’s…?’ _

“Hey, big sis! Over here!”

A petite girl with blonde hair that was pulled into two pigtails waved her over, smiling from where she sat on a large rock. Kaede walked over to her, giving the girl her best _big sister _smile while doing so. Her smile twitched when she realized that her actual sister must have been worried about her.

Kaede stopped in front of the girl, looking to where she was repeatedly pressing her index finger into the ground.

“What are you doing?”

The girl looked up with another smile, her finger not ceasing for even a moment. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m squishing lots of Mr. Ants! Now hurry up and sit down with me!”

Kaede did as told, lips quirking into a frown. “Are you… having fun?”

“Yeah,” the girl snickered and refocused her gaze on the ground, holding her clean hand in front of her mouth. “When you squish their tummies a certain way, they make this really cool sound. Try it!”

_ ‘Nevermind the fact that squishing ants for fun is pretty weird. How would you even… squish an ant a certain way? Aren’t they too small for that?’ _

The pianist forced herself to bring her index finger to the ground and onto an ant, fighting the urge to grimace upon doing so. She had killed plenty of ants before – it was only natural – but never when they hadn’t been inside her house and whatnot. Seeing as they were just outside and trying to live their lives, and knowing that Gonta would be enraged if he saw her, she felt dirty. 

“Hey, what’s your name?” Kaede asked, wiping ant guts onto the grass. 

“My name’s Hiyoko Saionji. I’m the Ultimate Traditional Dancer,” She responded proudly, the pace of her finger quickening. “What about you, big sis?”

“I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist.” A moment passed, then she looked up from the grass. “Do you hate ants, Hiyoko? Or do you just like squishing them?”

“Eh? Geez, don’t ask such dumbass questions!” Hiyoko’s hand stilled, and her change in personality was swift enough to give Kaede whiplash. “Of course I hate them! More than anything else!”

“But… why? I know they’re annoying, and they bite, and they’ll get into your food if you aren’t careful, but…”

“They’re the worst,” Hiyoko scowled, crossing her arms, “They act strong like they aren’t way weaker than us, and they’re only kind of strong in groups anyway. They make me sick, and by squishing them like this, I’m doing the world a favor!”

_ ‘So that’s how she sees them. Don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with such a strong opinion on ants before…’ _

“Well, when you put it like that, I kind of understand.”

“You do?” Hiyoko’s smile was back. “Hey, hey, big sis Kaede, let’s squish ants together a lot from now on!” 

“Yeah, I look forward to it,” she lied. “But I have to introduce myself to more people now.”

“Already?” Hiyoko huffed. “Fine, then.”

She stood from the rock, eyes scanning the rest of the farm. A tall, well-toned, and_ – _

_ ‘Don’t think it, don’t think it, don’t think it!’ _

– well-endowed girl stood crouched next to a cow that grazed the nearby grass without care, examining its udders intensely. Kaede watched her roll up the sleeves of her button-up shirt in a swift motion and rushed over.

“Uh, what’s so interesting about this cow?”

“Huh?” The girl picked her ear with her pinky, nonchalant gaze on her now. “Oh, nothin’, really. I was just gonna milk it.”

“What?”

“Why d’you sound so surprised? I mean, I know I don’t have any supplies with me, but the milk’ll come out if I just yank its udders real hard, right? And then I can drink it,” she said matter-of-factly.

“That’s… Isn’t that unsafe? Isn’t there an entire process you’d have to go through?”

The girl shrugged. “Dunno, honestly.” Then, she grinned, narrowing her eyes and holding up her pointed nails, “But I guess I’m about to find out!”

“No, you aren’t.” Kaede gripped her hair, letting out an exasperated sigh, “You’ll get sick, and I’m sure you won’t even need to milk a cow to get milk while we’re here. If this is an entire island, then there’s probably a store where we can get supplies like that. Or, you could even go to the restaurant I just came from.”

“Restaurant?” The girl’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you say anythin’ sooner?!” She grinned, “Thanks! I guess I really owe you one, huh, uh… Who are you again?”

“Kaede Akamatsu,” she raised an index finger with a nervous smile. ”I’m the Ultimate Pianist. And you?” 

“The name’s Akane Owari! Nice to meetcha! Now,” She cracked her knuckles with a smirk, “which direction to the restaurant?”

A bead of sweat appeared on her face, and Kaede raised a trembling hand to point to her left. 

“All right!” Akane seemed to salivate then, “I’ll be off!” Darting out of the corral at an astounding speed, "Thanks, Kate!"

_ 'How did she even… make that mistake? Those names don't sound even remotely similar. More importantly, she didn't even tell me was her Ultimate Talent was. Doesn't take a genius to figure it's probably something related to sports, though. Maybe she's the person Nekomaru was after...' _

Letting out a low, short sigh, Kaede made her way out of the corral, sending one last glance to Hiyoko, who was still squishing ants. She tilted her head for a brief look at the sky. A blanket of blue hung over the island, and the day's weather could have only been described as perfect, given that there were no clouds in sight. On the island's road, little to no shade protected her from the sun's heat, which she was sure she wouldn't have found so unpleasant if she weren't wearing her vest. 

After a moment of walking, a store came into view, and Kaede took a few more steps before stopping in front of it.

_ 'Rocketpunch Market. I guess I was right about there being a way to gather supplies here. Maybe I'll find something to use to get us off of this Island…’ _

She extended a hand and grasped the handle of the market's door, pulling it open to see…

"Forgive me, forgive me, forgive meeeee…!"

"Kyahaha! Ibuki likes what she sees! And she can see_ everything_!"

"I'm sorry…!"

A girl with long, unevenly cut locks of purple hair lay on the floor, sobbing. The objects of a nearby shelf appeared to have fallen on top of her, and wires had somehow wrapped around her ankles in such a way that her legs were forced to spread. The result of it all was her skirt being hiked up with her underwear on display for anyone who happened to walk into the store (In this case, Kaede). Another girl, one with colored streaks in her black hair, stood a few feet away from her, admiring the spectacle.

Kaede rushed inside, wasting no time getting to the sobbing girl's side.

"Are you all right?!"

"I t-tripped!" She sniffled.

_ 'To fall like that… How is that possible?' _

With a concerned frown, the pianist worked to untangle the wires around her legs, inspecting the skin there after doing so. While the wires had left faint pink snakes where they'd been, there were no cuts or scrapes, which Kaede was thankful for. She wrapped an arm around the girl to help her to her feet even though it seemed that she was fine.

"There," she said. "You didn't fall too hard, right?"

The girl shook her head. "No, but… Um, t-thank you very much." She pressed her index fingers together with a smile.

"Uwah, what's this!? Is Ibuki witnessing the beginning of a healthy, wholesome, heartfelt girl-on-girl relationship?!"

Kaede smiled, a bead of sweat appearing on her face. "You're Ibuki, I presume?"

The energetic girl's already wide grin widened, and she held up a peace sign near her forehead. "Yep, yep, yep! I-bu-ki Mi-o-da! Ibuki Mioda, at your service!" 

_ 'Well, she seems nice enough, even though she could have helped me a bit more just now…' _

Kaede refocused her gaze on the girl she had helped, who appeared to be trembling in her spot. "And you?"

"M-Me?"

"Yeah." She gave a reassuring smile. "What's your name?"

The girl let her lips curve slightly upward. "My name is Mikan Tsumiki. It's n-nice to meet you."

_ 'She seems so vulnerable and timid, but… why do I feel like this won't be the last time she trips like that? In any case, it'd only be right for me to help her out as far as building her confidence goes.' _

Kaede looked back to Ibuki, then to Mikan once more. "And your ultimate talents?"

_ 'Not everyone says their talents while introducing themselves, huh? I don't want a repeat of Akane, even though I could just ask her about her talent later.' _

"O-Oh!" Mikan's eyes widened, and her smile turned into a fearful frown, her brows furrowing slightly while her hands that were clasped to her chest trembled. "I f-forgot... to tell you? I'm sorry! P-Please feel free to draw on me!"

_ 'Maybe that was the wrong approach…' _

"Hey, hey, M-i-k-a-n!" Ibuki smiled, "I forgot to tell her my talent, too, so we're totally even." She enthusiastically put her hands on her hips and spoke to Kaede, "Go ahead and draw on me too! Something cute, if you please."

"What? N-No, I'm not... drawing on either of you," Kaede stammered. "If you don't want to let me know what your talents are right now, I'll say mine first. I'm Kaede Akamatsu," she said, "the Ultimate Pianist."

Ibuki let out a gasp that echoed through the store. "Kaede likes music!?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "A lot, actu–"

She was interrupted by Ibuki tackling her to the floor – like an overexcited puppy – and straddling her waist while grinning down at her.

"Say, say!"

"Y-Yes…?"

She can't breathe, she can't breathe, she can't–

"Care to join Ibuki's band?"

"What… type of music do you play…?"

"Whatever's on my mind!" The girl responded, "As the Ultimate Musician, I play anything from rockin' jams to lovey-dovey slow songs! Well? Well? What do you think?"

_ 'If it'll make her get off of me…' _

"S-Sure!"

"Yahoo!" Beaming, Ibuki stood up, and Kaede took a deep breath, relishing the air that filled her lungs. Heart pounding, she sat up and looked to Mikan.

"Mikan, do you feel comfortable sharing your talent now?"

"C-Comfortable?" The girl seemed to take a moment to think, and Kaede was about to assure her that she didn't have to say anything before she responded, "I'm t-the Ultimate… Nurse."

"Nurse? That's amazing!"

"Amazing?"

"Yeah," Kaede held up an index finger. "I can't even imagine how many people you've helped in the past."

The pianist felt the need to praise her more, but the girl had stilled. Completely, as if she were stone.

"Um, Kaede, I think you broke her…" Ibuki pressed her index fingers together with a nervous giggle.

_ 'Broke her?' _

Kaede stood and poked the nurse's arm, to which she received no response. Her brows furrowed, and Ibuki smiled, "Maybe, uh, come back later…?"

The pianist nodded and made her way out of the market. Once outside, a quiet sigh flew past her lips.

_ 'That could have gone… better? Worse? Maybe she just doesn't know how to handle compliments…' _

"Kaede?"

Her shoulders tensed at the familiar voice, and her eyes shifted to the right, where she saw Nagito and Hajime walking toward her. The former gave a small wave along with his signature calm smile, while the latter – Hajime, who had spoken – stopped a few feet away from her with crossed arms.

She stiffened at his stern frown.

_ 'Crap, he looks like he means business!' _

"What was earlier about? Why'd you run away like that?"

She was debating running away again until Nagito chimed in, "What's with the serious expression, Hajime? You might scare her off again if you keep that up." The boy chuckled, and Hajime scowled.

"Whose side are you on?"

"Eh? You're gonna make me choose?"

"Guys," Kaede held up a hand, frowning, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run away like that, and I admit that was a rude thing to do. I was just… reminded of a bad memory."

"Bad memory?" Hajime raised an eyebrow.

"If it's a bad memory, Hajime, she most likely won't want to talk about it."

"Right. Sorry." 

Kaede held out a hand to him with a smile. "It's nothing. Let's just put this all behind us and move on. Friends?"

Hajime stared at her hand. "I wouldn't go that far, but…" He grasped said hand in a firm grip, giving it a shake. "We'll call it a truce."

The pianist glanced at Nagito, who'd been watching the interaction with a small smile, hands stuffed in his pockets. "What about you, Nagito?"

"As far as forgiveness goes, well, I never had any problems with you. But if you just want to hold my hand, that's fine, too." A cheeky grin tugged at his lips.

Kaede folded her arms across her chest, nodding. "That would be nice, but I'm sure we all have different people to meet. I'll hold your hand sometime later, okay?" She smiled.

The corner of the boy’s grin twitched. “Oh, uh, I was just teasing…”

“But we can still make it happen, right?”

Hajime crossed his arms for the second time during their encounter. ”You two can flirt later. Nagito, we’ve still got people to meet.”

“Ah, right.” The boy let out a low sigh of disappointment, shifting his gaze to the ground. “What a shame. This has been nice and all, Kaede, but we have to get going now.” Then, his lips quirked upwards once more, “Once we’re done with introductions, feel free to hold my hand for as long as you like!”

Hajime facepalmed before grabbing Nagito by the hoodie, dragging the grinning luckster into the market. A chime sounded when he opened and closed the store door, and after listening to that, Kaede stood still for a moment.

_ ‘Wait, flirting? Was that what it seemed like? And Nagito didn’t even try to deny it…’ _

She frowned.

_ ‘In any case, I’d better go meet who I haven’t met yet. I’ll have to come back here to look for supplies, too.’ _

She began walking away from the Rocketpunch Market, gripping the straps of her backpack, which she was glad had survived her feigned execution with her. She kept a steady, comfortable pace, taking in the sights of the island and waving to a few teens that she had already encountered. Hiyoko blew a raspberry, Ibuki gave an energetic peace sign and a wink, Mahiru returned her wave with a smile that would have been perfect for one or ten of her photos, and then an airport came into view. 

Kaede sprinted, excitement making the island’s heat seem less annoying and making her aching legs hurt less and making the guilt clawing at her claw less because _she could finally save these kids. _

A small part of her shouted at her for getting her hopes up. For ignoring the fact that there was no way the mastermind would ever make things that easy for them.

She rushed into the airport with a large smile, only to double over and rest her hands on her knees. She panted, that same part of her scolding her for forgetting that she wasn’t the most athletic person in the world. 

“H-Hey, are you okay?”

Her eyes trailed up from the airport’s floor, to a neon yellow jumpsuit, to pink hair. Nervous posture and eyes, along with an unsteady voice that didn’t fit the boy’s flashy appearance. 

“The… The airplanes,” she wheezed, “do they…?”

“Do they work?”

“Y-Yeah. Do they?”

The boy rested a hand on his beanie, fingers twitching as if he were trying to scratch his head before realizing he most likely wouldn’t be able to feel it through the thick material. “Nah,” he frowned. “The exteriors are untouched, but… there are no engines. At all. If it were just an issue with them, I’d be able to fix ‘em up like it was nothing, but there aren’t any engines around to even _have _issues!” He let out a groan, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “This seriously sucks,” he grumbled.

Kaede felt her heart sink at that, but she couldn’t help but hook on to something the boy had said.

_ ‘“Fix ‘em up like it was nothing”...’ _

“Um,” she stood upright. “Are you a mechanic?”

“Yep!” The mechanic’s mood seemed to improve at that, and he gave a thumbs up and a grin. “Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic, at your service!”

“That’s amazing!”

“Huh?” 

“Even if these airplanes don’t have engines, you could still tear them apart and use whatever materials and scrap metal you find to create something useful, right?”

“I… I guess I could do something like that, but it’d probably take a while, y’know? I mean, it’s kinda out of the usual range of my profession, since I just fix things or take them apart most of the time. I’m a mechanic, not some sort of inventor or something.”

_ ‘If Miu were here… No, it’s wrong to compare them.’ _

“Still,” Kaede began, pumping her fists into the air, “you’re probably the most reliable person we have when it comes to stuff like this. If you tried your hardest, with all of us pitching in as much as we could, I’m sure we’d be able to get somewhere, Kazuichi.”

“Reliable…?”

“Yeah!” The pianist smiled.

Kazuichi’s eyes widened, and his voice cracked out, “R-Reliable? I mean,” he cleared his throat, “hell yeah! I’ll have these things taken apart in no time at all, Miss…” 

“Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist.”

“Miss Kaede! That totally has a nice ring to it!”

_ 'Just Kaede is fine, but…' _

"You'll do it?" She clasped her hands in front of her chest, "Thank you so much!"

"Yeah, anytime!"

The conversation seemed to end there, so Kaede's eyes scanned the airport, landing on a boy that appeared to be… eccentric, to say the least. The boy stood facing her – as if he had watched and listened to her and Kazuichi's encounter – before turning his head and focusing his gaze on a nearby conveyor belt, pulling up his scarf so that it covered the lower half of his face.

The pianist began walking over to him with a small smile.

"Halt!"

She stopped in her tracks, only to take a startled step back, her shoulders tensing.

"Huh?"

The boy crossed his arms, lips tugging into a smirk. "I see… It appears you thought you could fool me. However, your schemes will not confound the mind of the Supreme Overlord of Ice! The veil of deceit that you shroud yourself in is of no use against Gundham Tanaka, the Forbidden One!"

_ 'Well, that's one way to introduce yourself to someone…' _

"Hey, you're calling me a liar when we've just met!"

Gundham narrowed his eyes. "You underestimate my power. The universe has shifted, and lower-level beings are fearing for their pitiful lives. I am certain that an anomaly stands before me, making use of a form like this so as to not bring upon the destruction of the cosmos." With a slight sneer, "Well, then? Reveal your true form, fiend!"

_ 'Does he… know? About the killing game? About me?' _

"This is my true form!" She waved her hands defensively. "My name is Kaede Akamatsu, and I'm the Ultimate Pianist!"

"You are an ultimate, yet you were not seen in the room from which we were released." Gundham's eyes widened, "What sort of sorcery?!"

_ 'He's like… what would happen if Kokichi and Himiko had a baby. Actually, no, okay, stopping those thoughts there.' _

"It wasn't sorcery. I just wasn't in the classroom with you guys." She put a hand on her hip, holding her other palm flat and upturned in the air. "I got accepted into Hope's Peak just like you all, but I don't think I'm in your class. Does that make sense?" 

Part of it was a lie, so she hoped it did.

A moment passed, and then Gundham nodded. "I suppose that is a reasonable explanation. Now…" he glanced around the airport, "whose master are you?"

"Master!?"

It came out louder than intended, with her voice cracking partway through. Kaede felt her face heat up, but Gundham simply nodded.

"Which clan serves you?"

_ 'Clan…? I don't… know what he means…' _

Then, a squeak was heard, and a hamster poked its head out from the boy's scarf as if it had sensed her confusion. It stared at Kaede with its beady little eyes, and she stared back, admiring its sheer adorableness before three more hamsters made themselves visible and the pieces clicked.

_ 'Oh! He must be asking me whether or not I own a pet!' _

"Oh, uh, I've never owned a pet before. Unless giving the piano the same amount of attention you'd give one counts…"

"You mean to tell me that you are… one of _those _types?" 

"Don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate animals!" Kaede waved her hands in front of her defensively. "They're cute, and I enjoy being around them. I've just never had one to myself for long." She glanced to the side before clearing her throat. "Your hamsters are adorable, by the way."

"T-Tch," Gundham pulled his scarf up to the bridge of his nose in what he'd most likely figured to be an effective cover for his reddening face. "They are my Four Dark Devas of Destruction. Hamsters are merely their temporary form." Lowering his scarf, "Flee, now, or I shall unleash their wrath upon you."

_ 'Is he telling me to go away? Geez…' _

"All right. Let's talk again later, Gundham," Kaede smiled.

With that, she was out of the airport. 

All of the island's major features had been checked, and she hadn't seen the sixteenth student – the last one for her to meet – anywhere. The only explanation was that they were wherever the massive bridge extending from the island connected to.

The walk across the bridge was, as expected, a long one, and Kaede stopped to rest her legs once she arrived at the other end of it. Looking around, it seemed that the bridge connected to a smaller island. One that had five bridges connecting to it, making it the central piece of land. 

"Four more islands…"

"That seems to be the case, doesn't it?"

She let out a yelp and whirled around to see Nagito smiling at her, Hajime at his side. The white-haired boy gave a wave.

"Hello there, Kaede. Seems like you also decided to save the best for last," he chuckled.

"N-Nagito, don't sneak up on me like that! That goes for you, too, Hajime!"

The brunette frowned. "Hey, it wasn't like we were trying to. Why would we want to do anything to scare you off _again_?"

Kaede sighed. "You're right…" 

"Come on." Hajime took a step off of the bridge and onto the central island. "Let's see who we haven't introduced ourselves to."

The group followed a trail that led them to the island's center, where a statue of various animals sat in the center of a park of some sort. Examining that statue, and carefully, if his gaze at it was anything to go by, was a large, blond boy who wore glasses and a pristine white suit.

_ 'He looks fancy… How should I act?' _

"Byakuya, you seem pretty interested in that statue," Nagito smiled.

The boy pulled back from it, crossing his arms. “I was only trying to gather clues about what it could represent. Now,” his eyes did a sweep over the group, “what do you want?”

The white-haired boy gestured to Hajime and Kaede. “We were wondering if you had time for a few introductions. Just two, and then we’ll be on our way.”

“Fine, then.” Kaede stiffened when his eyes met hers. “Go on. Speak.”

“M-My name is Kaede Akamatsu. I’m the Ultimate Pianist. It’s... a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

The blond boy’s gaze shifted to Hajime, who seemed to be just as nervous but more composed than her. “And you?”

“Um, hello. My name is Hajime Hinata.”

“My name is Byakuya Togami.” Byakuya pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “That’s it. Back off.”

“That’s Byakuya for you,” Nagito chuckled. “Even by Ultimate standards, he's pretty special. He’s next in line to inherit his family’s financial conglomerate, and he’s already began managing the business operations. His net worth is, well, enormous. He’s the epitome of exceptional, and it’s completely accurate to call him the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.”

_ ‘At such a young age? That’s amazing! More importantly, staying with Nagito probably could have saved me some trouble when it came to learning about everyone’s talents…’ _

“You, there,” Byakuya’s eyes wandered back to Kaede, “you said you were a pianist?” The girl nodded, and he asked, “What type of music do you play?”

Her expression brightened at that, and she smiled. “I play pretty much anything. When it comes to the piano, I love all types of music – from the classics to more modern pieces. Of course, I wouldn’t say I’m a perfect pianist, but I’ve been playing the piano since I was really young. I would play whenever I got bored, and sometimes even I’d forget to eat and sleep, and… Wait, sorry.” She gripped her arm, frowning. “You didn’t ask for that much information, did you?”

“You’re correct.” Byakuya thumbed his nose at her. “I didn’t. I’m less interested in your childhood than I am in who you play for.”

“Who I… play for?”

Nagito pressed his index finger to his chin. “I think he’s asking what _types _of people you play for. For example, have you ever played for anyone particularly special?”

“Um,“ She took a moment to think before snapping her fingers in realization. “Oh, I played for a royal family once. Does that count?”

“A royal family? That’s…” At her side, Hajime trailed off.

“Tch. To have a royal family demand that you perform for them, only to say that you aren’t perfect at what you do. That isn’t humility. It’s stupidity.”

_ ‘Is he calling me stupid while complimenting me? How do I even respond to that?’ _

“While that isn’t exactly how I would word it, I have to agree with him on this, Kaede.” Nagito crossed his arms with a smile. “You’re so much greater than you think you are.”

_ ‘He’s really using my own words against me.’ _

“Seriously, I’m just a pianist. Don’t treat me like I’m someone special…”

“You’re foolishly stubborn. I don’t have time to go back and forth with you.” Byakuya looked to Hajime. “What about you? For what reason were you chosen to attend Hope’s Peak Academy?”

It was the brunette’s turn to stiffen, and he glanced to Nagito, then to her, as if asking for help.

“He actually... can’t remember his talent right now,” Kaede said.

Nagito picked up where she left off, “Apparently, he lost his memory due to shock. He really can’t remember much.”

“Hmph, how careless.” Byakuya went silent after that, no longer even looking at the group.

“Um…” Hajime spoke up, but seeing the awkwardness in his expression, it was easy enough for Kaede to tell that he didn’t have any other conversation topics in mind. Just as she was about to speak for him, Byakuya spoke.

“...I do believe we’ve finished talking. You three won’t accomplish anything by continuing to stand there. Move along! That’s the only thing you skinny types are good at, it seems.”

Nagito smiled. “Hajime, Kaede, let’s just leave.”

“Yeah, sure thing…” Hajime agreed without hesitation, and Kaede gave Byakuya a smile.

“I guess we’ll be going now, but if it’s fine with you, could we talk again soon?”

“I won’t make any promises. Now, _go away_.”

“Geez, okay, okay! We’re leaving–”

She was interrupted by a flicking sound, and her gaze shifted to the monitor that stood in the park. Static clouded the screen before it came to life, revealing a clear image of a rabbit wearing a dress and a bow and sitting comfortably in a red armchair that sat in an unidentifiable room.

“What the hell is that?!”

_ ‘Is this the rabbit Fuyuhiko was talking about? Is it Monokuma or one of the monokubs wearing a disguise? The killing game hasn't started yet, right? ’ _

“Congratulations, everyone! It appears that everyone has finished collecting the Hope Fragments!”

“Hope… Fragments?”

“I’m...” the rabbit paused to sniff dramatically, “I’m so happy… Soooo, I’ve prepared a present for everyone that’ll make you all _very _happy! I apologize for the trouble, but please gather at the beach!”

With that, a _click_ was heard when the monitor turned off, its screen going black. Kaede stood still, trying to process what she had just seen. 

“Ah, right,” Nagito held up a hand and tilted his head with a smile. “You don’t know her, huh? That’s our teacher and the administrator for this field trip, Usami. Hope Fragments are what we’ve been told to collect to get off of this island. But…” He pressed the knuckle of his index finger to his chin, “I’m not sure if those apply to you. I mean, you aren’t even part of the class, right? You just… happen to be here with us.”

There was a tense silence after that, and then Nagito spoke again.

“Maybe Usami could do something if we told her about you. She said to gather at the beach, didn’t she?”

Hajime frowned. “You’re gonna trust her just like that?”

The white-haired boy shrugged. “If the ones controlling her really wanted to harm us, I’m sure they would have done it by now. Why would they try to lure us into a false sense of security with a stuffed rabbit, of all things? Isn’t that impractical?”

_ ‘He has a point. Monokuma was forward with what he wanted from us, so there’s a chance that this isn’t him. Still, I won’t let my guard down.’ _

“Guys, let’s just hurry and get to the beach, okay?”

Kaede glanced around the central island on more time and let out a low sigh when she saw that Byakuya had wasted no time leaving them.

“Yeah,” Hajime nodded. “Let’s just go.”

The group turned around to face the bridge to the first island, and Kaede looked to her left, where Nagito held out a hand. Silently, she took it in her own, lips curling downward at the coolness of it. Cold, pale skin with veins crawling out of the partially-rolled-up sleeves of the jacket that fit loosely around his thin form. A scent like that of a hospital, so faint that she could only smell it when this close to him. 

With the realization that Nagito practically screamed poor health, she bit the inside of her cheek and held out her other hand to Hajime. The boy didn’t take it, keeping his eyes on the image of the approaching first island.

Nagito’s health. His, Mikan’s, and Kazuichi's low confidence. Fuyuhiko’s temper. Hiyoko’s distaste for the weak.

Kaede lowered her hand and realized that helping everyone would be just as important as saving them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was, uh, a long one...
> 
> also, i'm incredibly sorry for only giving akane a few lines.
> 
> i feel dirty for the number of lines i used from the original game near the end, but nagito "exposition dump" komaeda forced my hand--


	3. "I will never..."

When their feet met the sand of the beach, Nagito turned to face her and Hajime with a smile.

“Just like old times, right?”

Hajime deadpanned, “Just like those, what, two hours ago, you mean?”

“When you put it that way…”

Kaede tuned out the rest of their conversation and used her eyes to scan the beach. Fuyuhiko had decided to lean against a palm tree, his default scowl etched onto his features. Nekomaru and Akane seemed to be engaged in a rather intense conversation, and Kaede could see frustration creeping into the female athlete’s interested expression. Peko stood still, keeping a watchful eye on the ocean as if sharks would leap out of the water at any minute. Mahiru was…

_ Click! _

The photographer snapped a photo of her and Nagito’s intertwined fingers with a grin.

“I guess you two have already become pretty close, huh?” She then put a hand on her hip, her cheeky expression shifting into a frown. “That, or Nagito’s seriously so unreliable that he needed a girl to hold his and escort him here.”

At Kaede’s side, Nagito interrupted whatever he’d been saying to Hajime to lean closer and whisper to her, “You can go with the second answer if you’d like. I won’t mind.”

The pianist frowned and held up the index finger of her free hand to Mahiru, gripping Nagito’s hand tighter. “We actually just wanted to hold hands. And I’m sure that Nagito’s plenty reliable!”

Mahiru held up an upturned palm. “If you’re so sure that’s the case, I won’t disagree. He does seem competent enough, and when you squint, I guess he looks kind of like a stay-at-home dad. Unreliable Hajime, on the other hand...”

_ ‘Her opinion of him changed just like that?’ _

“Hey, wait, neither of them is unreliable! Nagito’s already proven himself to be smart, and Hajime has a sort of dominant aura surrounding him, so–” “Dominant... aura? Kaede, I understand that you’re trying to defend me, but you don’t have to word it like that!”

“She’s right, though, Hajime,” Nagito chuckled. “You seem like the type of person who likes to come out on top, you know?”

“Stop that,” the brown-haired boy responded flatly. “Stop that right now.”

_ ‘Didn’t Rantaro make that joke about Miu? What does it even mean?’ _

Kaede was about to voice her thoughts when their conversation, along with several others, was interrupted by the sound of a voice.

“Everyone, quiet.” Byakuya stood with crossed arms. “This is our time to discuss our findings before that rabbit arrives. Let me hear your initial impressions of this island.”

Akane was first. “Impressions?” She put a hand on her hip, glancing to the side. Then, she jabbed her thumb in Kaede’s direction. “Oh, Karen over there told me about the restaurant. I had the best meal of my life there, and then Teruteru fixed somethin’ up for me and made it even better!”

The chef let out a hum, stroking his chin with his thumb and index finger. “That’s right. At first, I was hesitant at the idea of using that kitchen’s equipment, but the food supply was so massive that I couldn’t help but feel drawn to it. The fruits, the vegetables, the doughs, the drinks… it was almost as if they were begging for me to make use of them, you know?”

“Massive, huh?” Kaede said, “I guess that’s enough for us to say we’re good on food, but we shouldn’t have to worry about being on this island for too long. If we’re smart and efficient, we should be able to get off of here in no time.” She offered a smile to the other sixteen students.

Nagito gave her hand a slight squeeze, meeting her smile with one of his own even though Kazuichi seemed to be trying to drills holes in him with his eyes. “That’s an optimistic way of looking at things.”

Byakuya placed an index finger to the corner of one of his glasses’ frames. “You’re correct in that we need to be smart and efficient, but simply reminding us of that won’t get us anywhere. Rather than _telling _us, you could set an example by _showing _us. For example, it seems that no one has pointed out the most pressing issue here.”

_ ‘Most pressing issue? Let me think… We’re trapped here. This is an entire island, with living arrangements and plenty of supplies, but we’re the only ones here. There appear to be four islands other than the two that are accessible to us, but the bridges to those are blocked off. If I found a way to make it to the other side of one of those gates, then… would I be able to find more supplies for us? Maybe some more information on the island? The mastermind’s control center or something?’ _

“Kaede, is something wrong?” 

Nagito’s voice snapped her out her thoughts, and she looked up to see his concerned expression. 

“Yeah,” Hajime put a hand to the back of his neck. “You were spacing out just now. Did you even hear what Byakuya said?”

She shook her head. “Uh, no. Sorry…”

The heir’s eyes narrowed. “It would do you better to not be an airhead in moments like these. As I was saying, this island is similar to Jabberwock Island, and if that statue on the central island means anything, then it would be possible for us to gather where we are.”

“Do we really have to do all that, though?” Akane, crossed her arms, focusing her gaze on the ground. “Name, location, whatever. Knowing those doesn’t change the fact that we’re stayin’ here.” 

“I mean,” Kazuichi began, “isn’t this just like a normal island, though? It’s got a resort and everything.”

"This is gonna be _so_ much fun!" Ibuki grinned. "Life on this tropical island's gonna be awesome!"

"Right on! This ain't a bad school at all!"

"G-Guys?" Hajime stammered. 

"Kyahaha! I actually like this island, unlike the rest of you cretins!" Hiyoko grinned, throwing her arms in the air.

_ 'Cretins?!' _

"Hey, wait!" Kaede shouted that, scanning the beach to take in the other students' expressions with a frown. "What are you guys even _saying_? Don't you have someone or thing waiting for you back home? A friend, a family member, a pet?"

Her ears picked up a nervous chuckle at that, and she glanced in Teruteru's direction to see the boy running his comb through his hair.

_ 'I should have another talk with him. Maybe he'll tell me about what's waiting for him if I pressure him enough...' _

"With all due respect, Kaede," Nagito began, "this is just a field trip authorized by Hope's Peak, right? Why are you acting like we'll be here forever?" Then, he smiled at her, giving her hand another squeeze. "We're just here until all of us become friends with one another, and at this rate, I'm sure we'll have nothing to worry about!"

_ 'Even if Monokuma hasn't shown up, this situation is still bizarre. Why is he so laid-back when the administrator of this field trip is a rabbit? And... Fuyuhiko also said something about Usami telling them to make friends with one another, but how can Nagito trust her word so easily?' _

"Nagito, do you seriously believe that?" Hajime narrowed his eyes.

"It's not like he has any reason not to!"

The high-pitched exclamation came from behind Kaede, and she whirled around to see the same white rabbit that had been shown on the monitor, Usami. Her eyes widened, and she jerked back, shoulders tensing.

"AH!"

Usami mimicked her reaction, but let out a yelp. A moment passed before she calmed down, a bead of sweat somehow appearing where her temple would be. "Um... Who are you? You aren't supposed to be here..."

_ 'She doesn't know why I'm here? She wouldn't have any reason to lie about that, would she? If she isn't Monokuma, or if she doesn't have any relation to him at all, then what is she?' _

"Hey, Rabbit," Fuyuhiko began with a glare, "the fuck are you saying?"

"Yeah! I mean, Kaede doesn't_ seem_ like she doesn't belong here!" Ibuki stuck out her tongue, hold up a peace sign. "Ibuki thinks she fits right in, like a cute blonde little puzzle piece!"

"B-But she wasn't in the c-classroom with us before we all got here..." Mikan said that with a trembling form and a nervous frown.

"What the hell are you saying, you pig-faced bitch?" Hiyoko cocked her arms back, glowering at her. "Someone as gross as you doesn't have the right to even_ insinuate _that someone else doesn't belong!"

"Hiyoko!" Kaede untangled her hand from Nagito's to cross her arms. "Why would you say things like that? Mikan wasn't even doing anything to you!"

"Shut the fuck up and let me be on your side, Kaidiot!"

_ 'Where is this coming from?! She wasn't like this earlier!' _

"E-Everyone, just calm down! Please..." Mahiru glanced around the beach with a frown, her voice gradually getting lower, as if she'd lost her courage partway through her statement.

The beach erupted into chaos. Everyone talked over one another, trying to get their points across without listening to anyone else's. Nekomaru let out a roar. Akane cracked her knuckles. Nagito raised an eyebrow, lips tugging into an amused grin, and he challenged Hajime with his expression alone. Usami shook in the background, glancing this way and that.

Kaede bit the inside of her cheek, trying to find a way to end the altercation that had been started by merely her presence.

Then, plastic rained down on the beach.

"Look, u-um, presents! Everyone gets a charm!" Usami forced a shaky smile, her form stiff. "S-So you can all stop fighting now..."

Kaede felt something hit her ahoge, and she raised a hand to lift the object off of her head. It was hard, cool, and small. She held in between her index finger and thumb, examining the Usami charm with a curious expression.

She pressed its stomach.

_ "I'm Usami... Magical Miracle Girl Usami! I'm an itty-bitty girl who's sweet like milk!" _

Kaede blinked.

Slowly, her lips curled upward. Then she doubled over with laughter.

It was such a strange way to break things up, but when she heard others giggling along with her, she knew it had worked. The charms didn't fit the atmosphere at all, and that was why they were perfect.

One by one, the ultimates calmed down.

Akane held her charm up. "So, uh, what are these things, anyway?"

"They appear to be figures of Usami," Peko said. She examined the charm with an expression that was softer than her usual, stoic one. "They are..."

She trailed off.

"They're cute, I think." Chiaki held hers up and let it glitter in the sunlight. "The ears even look like a rabbit's."

Kaede dropped to her knees and took off her backpack, placing it in the sand. Smiling, she affixed the Usami charm to the bag's zipper. "It's kind of nice to know we'll have a souvenir for when we leave this island." Putting her backpack back on and standing up, she heard mutters of agreement.

"_Yahoo! _These charms are totally cute!" Ibuki moved hers to different spots on her uniform, struggling to find somewhere to place it. "Ibuki's gonna keep hers with her forever and ever! Well..." She scratched the back of her head, "as soon as she finds somewhere to put it..."

"If Miss Kaede's keeping hers, I'll do the same!" Kazuichi tucked his into a pocket of his jumpsuit.

"Ugh, you guys are seriously lame!" Hiyoko scowled, shoving her charm into her kimono.

And that was that. 

"You all... like them?" Usami smiled, "Yaaay! And I wasn't sure that you would! I even prepared a back-up present, just in case, but I probably won't even need to show you all now!"

"Wait, hold on!" Teruteru pressed his index fingers together. "Let's not get too hasty now..."

"I admit, I'm curious as to what this second gift may be." Peko twirled the end of one of her braids between her fingers.

"Oh, oh!" Ibuki raised her hand, waving it in the air like an excited young child. "What about a party 'till the sun comes up?"

"Hmm..." Nekomaru folded his arms across his chest. "Maybe a relaxing day in the water?"

"A swimming contest?" Akane made a beckoning motion with her hand. "All right, bring it on!"

Sonia placed the knuckle of her index finger to her chin. "Perhaps a festival?"

"Ding-da-ding-ding! You're all correct!" Usami spread her arms. "We've come to this tropical island, so it'd only make sense for us to do something island-themed."

"Oh, a campfire sounds fun!" Mahiru raised an index finger with a grin.

Kaede placed her hands behind her back with a smile. "Maybe we could find some fireworks at the supermarket and have fun with those when the sun goes down!"

"It seems everyone has different ideas, but if we're gonna be at the ocean, then Nekomaru's works best." She presented two bags, red and blue, that had somehow gone unnoticed the entire time. "Tada! I have swimsuits for everyone! Well, _school _swimsuits, that is." 

"You're telling us to go swimming in a situation like this?"

"I'm not ordering you guys to go swimming or anything. It's just, if you wanna go swimming, you can..." Then, she looked at Kaede. "But... Kaede, was it? You're coming with me. We need to figure out what you're doing here!"

_ 'How, though? If she doesn't know, and I don't know, then who will? Should I ask her about Monokuma?' _

"Yeah, okay..." The pianist nodded, watching a large number of the other students race off of the beach, eager to enjoy the water. Leaving with Usami, she cast one last glance to Hajime.

—

The spinning of the fans filled the hotel lobby, and Kaede stared at Usami, who fidgeted in response. The tense silence lasted a few more seconds, and then the rabbit spoke up with a tilt of her head.

"Um, what are you? A virus?"

"What do you–" "Please go away!"

Usami swished her wand in the air, waving it in several directions. 

"Usami!" Kaede snapped, crossing her arms. "I'm-!" She cut herself off, inhaling before letting out a breath to calm herself. "I'm... not a virus. What gave you that idea?"

The rabbit stiffened at that. 

"You aren't... supposed to be here." It was a repeat of her earlier statement. "If you aren't a virus, then I guess I'll have to make accommodations for your presence, but... if not a virus, then what are you? A teacher's assistant?"

"What are these terms you're using? You keep saying "virus" as if this has something to do with technology." Kaede narrowed her eyes. "And why would you assume that I'm a teacher's assistant? What would something like a teacher's assistant do in this situation?"

"You're turning the tables on me?!" Usami flinched. "A-And, anyway, not a virus, not a teacher's assistant... Maybe a glitch?"

"What are you even talking about, Usami?" Her hand flew to the zipper of her backpack. "Answer, o-or I'll throw this charm away right now!"

"Unfamiliar name, unfamiliar avatar, apparent sentience... Something this advanced would have to be more than a glitch..."

_ "Usami!" _

"Hawawa?!" The rabbit stopped mumbling and looked up to see Kaede holding up her charm. "Wait, wait! I'm just as confused as you are! S-So let's not do anything rash. I'll figure everything out, I promise, so just… live on this tropical island and start collecting Hope Fragments as my student for now."

"I don't even know what those are, and I don't plan on being here for longer than necessary." Kaede lowered the hand that held the charm and ran a hand through her hair, letting out a sigh. "It isn't just about me, either. It's also about everyone else."

A bead of sweat formed at Usami's temple. "The others? What could possibly be wrong with them?"

"Lots of things, but that's beside the point," she frowned. "Something bad might happen to them, and I'm trying to figure out how to prevent it. I'm trying to come up with a plan, but I don't know what'll work. I'm just… scared of messing up."

"Something bad?!"

_ 'Was that all she picked up on?' _

Kaede opened her mouth to speak again, but the door to the hotel lobby opened, and she turned to see a smiling Nagito clad in swim trunks.

"Everyone's heading to the beach. I was wondering if we could walk together again since we haven’t really had any time alone with one another since Hajime woke up.” He held out a hand. “You could hold my hand again... if you’d like.”

The pianist tore her eyes away from him to look at Usami once more, only to see that the rabbit had disappeared. She blinked once, twice, and then shifted her gaze back to Nagito.

"Yeah, sure," she smiled.

_ 'How long has he been there?!' _

Kaede made her way to him with a few short steps, grasping his hand before lacing his fingers with hers. Hand in hand, they made their way out of the hotel lobby and, soon, out of the hotel. It didn't take long for her to notice that Nagito was leading her in the wrong direction. Instead of walking past the ranch and to the beach, they were walking toward the Rocketpunch Market. 

"Uh, Nagito?"

"Hm?"

"Aren't we going the wrong way?"

He stopped and turned to face her, the corners of his lips tugging upward in a fashion that was different from that of his usual smile. "Ah, well, we haven't really gotten to spend much time alone with one another since Hajime woke up. I was hoping we could use this walk to do that."

"Okay," the pianist responded slowly, nodding. "Do you have any hobbies or interests? What are some of your likes and dislikes?"

Nagito let out a chuckle. "I'm glad you want to know more about someone like me, but I'm more interested in _you_."

"Huh?" Kaede tried to feign ignorance, hoping the tense in her shoulders wasn't too noticeable. "What do you mean, Nagito?"

His smile tightened, his eyes narrowing. "I _mean,_ I heard your conversation with Usami."

"You..." Kaede tried to let go of his hand, but his grip on her hand tightened. "...How much of it?"

"Oh, not all of it, if that's what you're worried about." Still smiling, he examined the nails of his free hand. "I was just sent by the others to come to get you, and I happened to walk in at that moment. Just my luck, I suppose. But," He lowered his hand, "_'__Unfamiliar name, unfamiliar avatar, apparent sentience...' _and _'Something bad might happen to them.' _The things that I heard were pretty interesting, to say the least."

"Nagito," Kaede's lips curled into a frown, her eyebrows pinching together, "why are you acting like this?"

"Eh?" His eyes widened, "Acting like what? I'm just trying to figure out why you're keeping things from us, especially when we could all be in danger and you haven't told any of us about what that danger could be..."

"I-!" Kaede screwed her eyes shut. "I want to trust you all, Nagito, but I don't know if I can! I just, _I just..._"

There was a rumble above her, and then there was a crash.

She heard thunder.

Kaede's eyes snapped open, and she jerked her head upward to stare, wide-eyed, at the sky. Clouds swirled ominously, the occasional lightning strike illuminating them and adding to the cacophonic thunderstorm. Through harsh winds, she could hear cries of panic and desperate pleas for everyone to just_ stay calm _erupting from the beach. 

"What a jarring shift in the weather," Nagito laughed.

"We need to get to the beach!"

Then, from her peripheral vision, Kaede saw something flicker on in the supermarket. She forcefully untangled Nagito's hand from her own to rush inside, and the boy followed after her. The pianist stopped in front of the monitor that hung overhead, focusing her full attention on it. 

_ "Ah, ahh...! Mic check! Mic check! Ah, ah! Ah, ah! Can you hear me, can you hear me?" _

_ 'That voice...' _

Kaede couldn't help the way her heart sped up in her chest.

_ "Puhuhu... Surprised? You were totally surprised! Right...?" _

She couldn't help but feel as if he were speaking directly to her.

_ "Now then, sorry to keep you all waiting for so long. Let's leave all this worthless entertainment behind. It's time for the main attraction! You guys better hustle over to Jabberwock Park!" _

And she couldn't help the way she grabbed Nagito and bolted out of the supermarket. 

Being dragged along, the boy asked, "Kaede, is this the danger you were afraid of...?"

—

"Where the hell were you?"

Kaede heard Fuyuhiko ask that and held up an index finger, signaling for him to wait a moment. She panted, letting go of Nagito and watching the boy make his way over to Hajime.

"Talking... with Nagito..."

"Which one is that again? And," he lowered his voice, "why the fuck are you breathing so hard?"

"Cloud hair. Running's... never been my-" Then, she stood upright and glanced around, "Wait, where is he?!"

Fuyuhiko raised an eyebrow. "Uh, okay, that change was fast. Cloud hair, you said?" He jabbed his thumb to his left. "He's over-" "Not _him_!" 

She heard Usami call out, "Wh-Where are you?! Where are you hiding?!"

A "Puhuhuhuhu!" echoed through the park.

"Hey-hey! Where are you? Show yourself!"

There was loud and carefree, but _sadistic_,laughter. Kaede pressed her lips into a thin line, a bead of sweat forming at her temple, and planted her feet firmly into the ground. She, along with the other students and Usami, turned to face the statue at the center of the park. 

Black and white, with one plastic, jagged red eye that seemed to gleam in the dull light, Monokuma hadn’t changed at all.

“Why, hello there! Thank you all for waiting! Long time no see, guys!” 

Kaede froze, struggling to decide where to go from here. It had occurred to her that she would need a plan for when the bear showed up, but she hadn't ever gotten around to coming up with one. She couldn't attack him; violence against the headmaster had been prohibited in her killing game, so it was safe to assume that rule would apply to this one as well. Confronting him about her presence at the moment would mean risking everyone finding out about her, and then what? They would find her suspicious, wouldn't they?

Wouldn't she be first on the kill list? Wouldn't the others try to force answers out of her even if she couldn't give them any?

_ 'Why am I even here? A second killing game as a punishment, okay. Sure. I can believe it, but what's happening in the other killing game while I'm here? Is there one mastermind that's somehow managing both of the killing games, or are there two separate masterminds? Sixteen plus sixteen equals thirty-two, so how were thirty-two ultimates, thirty-two_ **_children_**_, kidnapped without any authorities being notified? Are there other killing games that I don't even know about? _

_ How was I taken here? This setting couldn't be more different from the school we were trapped in. And the school was surrounded by a cage, so where would the opening for a helicopter or plane or something have come from? Ah, that's way too many questions! I'll have to write them down when I get the cha_–_ Wait, Usami's saying something!' _

"I don't know why Monokuma is here, but as long as I have this magic stick..." She held the item up, and then Monokuma pounced.

"Yah! Opening!"

Now, Kaede didn't necessarily know whether Usami was on her side or if the rabbit and Monokuma had worked together in all of this, but she _did_ know that standing back and watching Monokuma get his artificial paws on what seemed to be a powerful object wouldn't be a responsible thing to do.

So she rushed at the two plushies, who had commenced in the strangest battle she had ever seen, ignoring cries of alarm. Kaede reached blindly into the cloud of dust the robots had created. The pianist felt around with quick, deft hands and avoided swipes from claws until her fingers wrapped around cool, rod-like plastic. There was a growl that could have only come from Monokuma, and she reeled back with the wand clutched tightly in hand. 

Monokuma was still doing his best to beat Usami up and apparently hadn't noticed yet that the item he was after was out of her hands. 

Still not wanting to take any chances, Kaede stood with a gulp and rushed away from the two plushies, backing into one of the park's trees. 

"Kaede!" Hajime called out to her from across the park, worry so thoroughly hidden behind his frown that she almost didn't catch it. "Do you even know what you're doing with that thing...?"

"I..." She looked down and examined the stick, panic creeping into her features. There were no buttons, no switches, nothing!

Kaede raised her head and scanned the other ultimates' expressions. Chiaki stared at her, the concern on her face a far cry from the lazy expression she had kept before Monokuma's arrival. Nagito had pressed his lips into a thin line, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. Peko seemed to be even more alert than she'd been when on the beach and in the hotel lobby, her eyes trained on the magic stick as if it were a sword of Kaede's own. Fuyuhiko stood with narrowed eyes, wearing an expression that screamed, _"What the fuck are you doing, dumbass?" _

There was a beat.

A glance in Usami and Monokuma's direction confirmed that the two were still preoccupied.

Kaede inhaled, then exhaled.

"Akane, catch!"

The gymnast, even standing an impressive distance away from her, was fast enough to catch the object before it could hit the ground. She stopped a few feet away from Kaede with a carefree grin. "All right! Now what?"

"Now..." The pianist pointed across from her, "pass it to him, okay?"

Akane smirked. "You got it." 

The wand soared through the park then, and Kaede couldn't help but worry for Hajime's safety before the boy caught it almost effortlessly. He held up his free palm, narrowing his eyes. "Maybe it's just me, but I feel like now _isn't _the time to be playing a game of catch."

Kaede crossed her arms. "Do you know what to do with the wand?"

At that, he turned it in his hand, his eyes following it. "There's no indicator for what to do. Does this thing even work? There's no way Usami really turned a chicken into a cow earlier..."

The pianist frowned. "I won't pretend to know what you're talking about. Just... pass the wand to Nagito."

The way Hajime's lips moved, she figured he let out a sigh, but he complied nonetheless. "Heads up, Nagito!" 

The plastic stick flew through the park again, but Nagito, who'd been standing the closest to Monokuma and Usami, side-stepped it. It landed against the ground with a clatter, and as Monokuma pounced on it, the boy tilted his head with a smile.

"Oops."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And here, we have Komaeda Nagito Being Komaeda Nagito. Ahhh, yes. Lookit him go."
> 
> nagito sucks at catch pass it on
> 
> once again, the number of lines i used from the original game is killing me--


End file.
